ARTA historical record

Submitted by Lucy Kirby, 2011

On October 4, 1964, the EAA Retirement Committee met in the George Washington High School Cafeteria for the purpose of organizing the ARTA. The large group of committee members voted to organize and elected officers. The second meeting was held on November 11, 1965, at which time the ARTA Constitution and By-Laws were being prepared but not adopted until 1971. The membership grew slowly; dues were $1.00. Social events, such as teas and dinner meetings were held, and membership was the key = increase!! There are no records that give us the numbers of members we had by 1969, but we did have $180 in our treasury. Lifetime membership in the VEA was $5.00! By 1970, the Arlington Retired Teachers were not organized and asked if they might join the Alexandria group. They remained members with us for several years. In November 1971, a White House Conference for Aging People was held. Several ARTA members attended. Medicare was one outgrowth of the conference. During the March, 1972 meeting, ARTA members voted to raise the dues to $5.00 a year. Participation in the Virginia Retirement System was voluntary (1972). The formula for determining retirement benefits was 1 1/2 % of the employee's salary for the highest five years. In 1973, District H, composed of Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, and Fairfax retirees, was organized and met for the first time in November. At that time, ARTA had 46 members. The Association was not sponsoring any major projects, and the only expense was the cost of an occasional newsletter. No special meeting place for ARTA members was established until the early 1980's when it was agreed to meet in the Del Ray Center, Mount Vernon Avenue. Twelve members met on September 15, 1980, and began outlining ways to build up membership. The Association met in this center until we outgrew the meeting room. State and national organizations were growing in membership and were sponsoring seminars and forums throughout the state that proved to be beneficial to educators. Local politicians were invited to speak at ARTA meetings, and we were kept abreast of state legislative activities. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, the importance of gaining new members was stressed. Joint meetings of ARTA and District H were held, at which time the VEA president spoke, along with a representative from the State Legislature. As a result, we were kept abreast of work in the Virginia Assembly. Almost all of our 1980s and 1990s meetings were informative - local, state, and national professional speakers. Social get-togethers were important. May luncheon meetings began in the '80s - but no community projects were sponsored until later. We were a social group of educators, trying to build membership and attempting to offer speakers who proved to be not only interesting, but who enlightened us re "goings on" in local, state, and national politics that affected us. From March 21, 1983 minutes, one read, "There is great concern about our membership. The younger retirees are not joining our organization." ARTA, in spite of sponsoring and promoting interesting programs and sponsoring projects such as the Scholarship Fund, has always had concerns about getting "younger retirees" to join our Association. Annual meetings with Arlington Retired Teachers began in October, 1983 and continue today. October finds our members in Arlington, and the Arlington retirees come to Alexandria to our March meeting. In September, 1986, ARTA moved our meetings to the Hermitage Penthouse. We included state legislators; speakers re social security, investments, health care, war on drugs, homeless problems; and local school administrators who were invited to speak. Our programs were not only excellent, but relevant! In March, 1984, a committee of three members was appointed to "plan for a worthwhile project to be pursued by this group." Loose ends in structure were pulled together - committees that were formed (as stated in the By-Laws) had chairmen reporting at monthly meetings - thus the membership became more interested in the workings of the Association and more involved. By 1990, we had 109 members! Our main concerns were health insurance - partial payment of monthly premiums by the School Board was one of our priorities. ARTA was represented at School Board meetings for the purpose of asking the Board for monetary help toward the premiums. It took quite a bit of effort (speaking and writing letters) to get any compensation. Contributions were made to the John C. Albohm Scholarship Fund (former Alexandria Schools Superintendent) in memory of deceased members. May luncheon meeting reservations exceeded space at Cedar Knoll restaurant, so eventually we moved to the Ramada Inn, where we stayed until 2008. The Executive Board met monthly in the Charcoal House or members' homes. We were becoming a very active and strong organization. By the end of the 1980s, we had around 100 members and a very substantial bank account. All committees listed in the By-Laws were at work, and chairmen reported at monthly meetings. Reports were given re state legislative matters and local School Board decisions that affected us. Beginning in the 1990s, scholarships were given to local high school graduates who applied and who met ARTA's requirements. Arlington and Alexandria became District H and continue to meet twice each year. These are only a few highlights that brought us into the new century. Past presidents total 13, as of the date of this account. Several presidents served more than one term. Only four remain: Lucy Kirby, Mickey Moore, Gloria Davidson, and Del Wilson.

Constitution and By-Laws: Original one was written and adopted in 1971. Revisions: 1990, 1992, 1999, 2011.

*** Since the time this was written, there have been three more ARTA presidents - Gladys Pettiford (2011-2013), Judy McConville (2013-2015), and Barbara McClellan (2015-2019). Sadly, Lucy Kirby, the author of this document, passed away in July, 2014.